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Bill Simmons eats some crow......

By Bill Simmons
Page 2

Fascinating Game 7 last night. Miami had Detroit on the ropes with five or six different possessions in the final quarter, but every time that happened, the Heat always ended up getting a bad shot (how 'bout some of those Keyon Dooling possessions???) and allowed the Pistons to hang around. Even when Shaq was looking unstoppable down the stretch, I thought they were pulling it out.

And then this sequence happened:

2:02 remaining, Miami up 2  Shaq kicks it back out from a double-team; Damon Jones (truly atrocious for the entire game) isn't patient enough, penetrates, leaves his feet (Bob Cousy's ultimate no-no) and throws the ball away. Detroit roars down the court and executes a flawless fast break for a Hamilton layup. Tie score. Seriously, how many teams in the league would have gotten two points off that Jones play? Two? Three?

Bottom line: If you allow these Pistons to hang around, you can't screw up against them in crunch time. The way Detroit takes care of business in tight games is positively Belichick-esque. That's why they won.

So the question remains: Would Miami have won this game with a healthy Dwyane Wade? I say yes, and here's why: With the exception of one productive stretch in the third quarter, he couldn't have played worse  he took bad shots, tried to do too much, didn't give them any rebounding or fast-break points. Clearly, he was three steps beyond hampered by that rib injury (note: I thought the Heat were playing possum by keeping him out of Game 6). If you were grading Game 7 against every other performance from the season, you would probably give him a D or a D-plus, and still, Miami nearly won the game. So if Wade was a B-plus instead of a D-plus in Game 7, what would have happened? You have to think Miami wins, right?

But here's the thing: Wade took an inordinate amount of punishment all season because he hasn't learned how to pick his spots yet. Just two weeks ago, I read a Sports Illustrated feature about him that brought up his reckless drives and the whacks he's taken from bigger guys, and Wade said something to the effect of, "I'm a young guy; I've been getting knocked down since I was 4 years old, so I know how to fall so I don't get injured."

Well, that's crazy. You can't play a 100-game season, take eight or nine football-type hits every game and expect your body to hold up. When Wade's body finally gave out, it happened during a blowout in Game 5 on a simple crossover move he probably made 5,000 times this season  crossover, two steps to the left, elevate, release  certainly not the type of play that potentially should end someone's season. It was like his body finally gave out, almost like a car engine that just won't start one morning.

And that's why I don't think people should play the "Pistons were lucky to win the series" card. The bottom line was Wade carried a superhuman load for Miami all season  almost like a 450-carry season for an NFL running back  and only because his supporting cast wasn't good enough to assume some of that burden. When he finally broke down and needed some help, the Heat didn't have enough talent to help him. That's why they lost. Over a 100-game season, Detroit was a slightly better all-around team.

Two other notes while we're here:

1. The Pistons possibly would have beaten the '87 Celtics if Dantley and the Microwave didn't crack heads in Game 7, and they would have won the '88 title if Isiah didn't sprain his ankle in Game 6. So if anyone was due for a break of "the best opposing player suffering a debilitating injury right as his team was taking control of the series" caliber, it was the Detroit Pistons. Between Wade's injury and Fisher making the miracle shot last spring  allowing them to avoid the Spurs and play the Lakers instead (a much better matchup for them)  I think we're finally even.

2. Whenever people start the "Who was the best NBA champ ever?" argument, they never take into account what happened the year after the title. Shouldn't the way you defended the title be factored into the overall greatness of that particular team? For instance, the '83 Sixers are considered to be one of the greatest teams ever, but they couldn't even get out of the first round against the Nets the next year. Shouldn't that matter? Anyway, you have to hand it to the 2005 Pistons. Maybe they aren't as good as last year's team  case in point: Poor Rip Hamilton had to play 48 minutes last night, which had to be the stat of the playoffs so far  but they rose to the occasion when it mattered. I didn't think they had it in them.

(Note to self: Probably not a good idea to underestimate the defending champs in a big game again.)

It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

1. The Pistons possibly would have beaten the '87 Celtics if Dantley and the Microwave didn't crack heads in Game 7, and they would have won the '88 title if Isiah didn't sprain his ankle in Game 6. So if anyone was due for a break of "the best opposing player suffering a debilitating injury right as his team was taking control of the series" caliber, it was the Detroit Pistons. Between Wade's injury and Fisher making the miracle shot last spring – allowing them to avoid the Spurs and play the Lakers instead (a much better matchup for them) – I think we're finally even.

I think there might be some Pacers fans who remember last season and disagree with Bill.

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

I think there might be some Pacers fans who remember last season and disagree with Bill.

Most definitely.

He forgot the fact that JO and Tinsley were injured..And the Prince block was a once in a life time type of block..So..I don't want to hear about evening **** up.

Fact is, The Pistons have been healthy in the playoffs while their oponents best players have come down with injuries mid-series. That doesn't really matter because if they win, they win. Nobody is going to remember 20 years from now, WELL IF JO AND TINSLEY WEREN'T INJURED IN 04 AND WADE WASNT INJURED IN 05, THE PISTONS WOULDN'T HAVE WON AT ALL!!!. Either way, The pistons continue to get break after break in the ECFs..Oh let's not forget Ron Artest being suspended and Detroit getting off the hook virtually with a verbal lashing, the type that they hear every day in rush hour traffic.

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

He forgot the fact that JO and Tinsley were injured..And the Prince block was a once in a life time type of block..So..I don't want to hear about evening **** up.

Fact is, The Pistons have been healthy in the playoffs while their oponents best players have come down with injuries mid-series. That doesn't really matter because if they win, they win. Nobody is going to remember 20 years from now, WELL IF JO AND TINSLEY WEREN'T INJURED IN 04 AND WADE WASNT INJURED IN 05, THE PISTONS WOULDN'T HAVE WON AT ALL!!!. Either way, The pistons continue to get break after break in the ECFs..Oh let's not forget Ron Artest being suspended and Detroit getting off the hook virtually with a verbal lashing, the type that they hear every day in rush hour traffic.

There are many times that I write out a reply here and then think better of posting it. I've done that for most of what would have come in this response but I didn't want to not post the following:

The "Prince block" was hardly a "once in a life time type of block" as he has repeated the performance many times this season (including in the playoffs) and the action is refered to as "Reggie Miller-ing" the opponent (as in "he Reggie Miller-ed him!").

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

There are many times that I write out a reply here and then think better of posting it. I've done that for most of what would have come in this response but I didn't want to not post the following:

The "Prince block" was hardly a "once in a life time type of block" as he has repeated the performance many times this season (including in the playoffs) and the action is refered to as "Reggie Miller-ing" the opponent (as in "he Reggie Miller-ed him!").

Yeah.

Prince seems to have had a LOT of "lifetimes".....

You see him serving up a #31 special at least once every 2 or 3 games.....

Besides, the only people who give a damn about excuses are the people from the team that lost....nobody else really cares.

It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

There are many times that I write out a reply here and then think better of posting it. I've done that for most of what would have come in this response but I didn't want to not post the following:

The "Prince block" was hardly a "once in a life time type of block" as he has repeated the performance many times this season (including in the playoffs) and the action is refered to as "Reggie Miller-ing" the opponent (as in "he Reggie Miller-ed him!").

Just like if a fight breaks out we refer to it as "GOING PISTONS".

If you get to thinkin youre a person of some influence, try orderin somebody elses dog around..

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

You see him serving up a #31 special at least once every 2 or 3 games.....

Never knew there were 2 or 3 game determining blocks a game. He wasn't saying the block was the whole story, but the situation that it was in. How many times to do see a break away block with the game literally on the line? The block isn't the most amazing part.......

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

Nobody is going to remember 20 years from now, WELL IF JO AND TINSLEY WEREN'T INJURED IN 04 AND WADE WASNT INJURED IN 05, THE PISTONS WOULDN'T HAVE WON AT ALL!!!. Either way, The pistons continue to get break after break in the ECFs.

Who remembers this from old SNL: Q: "What if the bears only played Mike Ditka? One Ditka against 11 guys - who would win?" A: "Da Bears!"

Ultimately, none of this matters. I still believe that the better team will win a 7 game series at least 95% of the time. Sometimes "better" means better coached, somtimes it means healthier, sometimes it means deeper, sometimes it means luckier, sometimes it's a combination of these and other factors.

Here's the truth: If a team can't stay healthy and mentally focused or if a team can't avoid suspensions, it is not the better team. End of story.

Now if the 04 Pacers or the 05 Heat had Ditka, I would sing another tune, but they didn't and they lost to the better team.

Re: Bill Simmons eats some crow......

Like people said about the timing and importance of that block; if he doesn't get it, the Pistons possibly go down 2-0. The most underrated thing about that block and something I'll never know how he did was keeping the ball in bounds.

If it goes out, it's a great block but the Pacers still have a chance to tie or win.

"It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."